An actual brake comparison study

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Out of interest which brakes have you tried before? I nearly got those Deore ones when I first started looking into things

MT7, MT5, Deore, SLX, XT, XTR, Guide RE, Code, Code RSC, SRAM G2, Hope Tech 3 V4, Tektro, prob more I can’t remember.

Almost always 200/203 rotor front and rear.

I will say for my riding in the South of the U.K. the Deore 4 pot are absolutely fine. If I was in the Alps, maybe they wouldn’t work as well as something else. But they stop well, feel decent and are much cheaper than the rest.

I like the Deore so much I bought 2 sets with my own money.

 

[RustyMTB]

My Lapierre has Guide R on the front & Slx on the back!. Rear brake stuck on which as far as I could tell was a design flaw in that particular lever & I had an Slx lying around, so stuck it on & never bothered to change it. Quite like the set up, the Guide is sharper, the SLX more progressive.

My hard tail has Deore all round & I think they're great, all the feel & stopping power I need. Never saw the need to change them.

 

[Mteam]

My Magura MT 5 levers are carbotexture .
I can see the scratches and fraying of the material where I have dropped it in the dirt .
The lever and the body . That is part of the Magura system . The modulation comes through the flex in the lever blade . IME .

Funny story a mechanic at the LBS tried to tell me to use two fingers on the Magura brakes if they didn`t have stopping power !!
Roadies giving advice to MTBers not a good mix ...

When they eventually bled the system 3 times and got the air out of the hydraulics they worked a vengeance with just the index finger .

Not a fan of the MT5 levers I swapped them out for Shimano XT on my current steed .

The magura website states that the Mt 4,5 and 7 lever blades are aluminium, but the body is that plastic stuff. My mt5 have aluminium levers as per the specs on the magura website.



Maybe your blades are plastic?

 

[carlbiker]

The brakes will fit, but what type of brake disc mounting do your hubs use? 6 bolt or centerlock? the discs that are part of that bundle are 6 bolt discs.

My Orbea wild fs uses centerlock, so those discs won't fit mine, not sure what your model uses though.

You would also need a 220mm adapter for the front caliper.

Chatted to a seller earlier and looks like adapters needed like you say, 220 on Front but limited to 203 on the back but that’s okay.

 

[RickBullotta]

FYI, there's technology out there to measure and optimize real world braking performance for MTBs...so you don't blame the equipment as much, and learn to use the brakes properly.

BrakeAce | The World's First Brake Power Meter

 

[Mteam]

Chatted to a seller earlier and looks like adapters needed like you say, 220 on Front but limited to 203 on the back but that’s okay.

dont forget to also check that your hubs are 6 bolt hubs, and not centrelock - if theyre centrelock those discs wont fit at all.

 

[leocompositing]

I like the quality of the code RSC brakes and the modulation but was not happy with the stopping power on my decoy elite.

changed the rotors to Galfer 223mm and Galfer epads matrix and they can stop a train going downhill.

they bite hard but still have incredible modulation.

 

[carlbiker]

My discs didn’t fit in the end, the Mt7 brakes are monsters, actually you have to retrain how to handle the bike there that powerful, modulation will be key here it’s just knowing when it’s actually biting but there are also adjustable biting points too

 

[jbrown15]

My discs didn’t fit in the end, the Mt7 brakes are monsters, actually you have to retrain how to handle the bike there that powerful, modulation will be key here it’s just knowing when it’s actually biting but there are also adjustable biting points too

If the discs didn't fit you didn't have the correct adapters.

 

[m4rmot]

If the discs didn't fit you didn't have the correct adapters.

I just swap from Sram code R to trickstuff direttissima
I keep my 203 hope discs
I had to add washers to make it fit well

Braking is now really awesome

IMG_20210308_194432.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

IMG_20210308_194459.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

IMG_20210308_194506.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

 

[jbrown15]

I just swap from Sram code R to trickstuff direttissima
I keep my 203 hope discs
I had to add washers to make it fit well

Braking is now really awesome

IMG_20210308_194432.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

IMG_20210308_194459.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

IMG_20210308_194506.jpg

• m4rmot
• Mar 10, 2021

nice Trickstuff setup! How do you like them?

I placed an order last month for some of their Maxima brakes.

 

[m4rmot]

nice Trickstuff setup! How do you like them?

I placed an order last month for some of their Maxima brakes.

will you wait for 12 months for Maxima ??

They are really nice. I ever had Shimano / Hope / Sram / Formula brakes (never tried Magura)
In my opinion they are the best brakes I ever had

 

[jbrown15]

will you wait for 12 months for Maxima ??

They are really nice. I ever had Shimano / Hope / Sram / Formula brakes (never tried Magura)
In my opinion they are the best brakes I ever had

yeah I’m willing to wait, I have a great setup with with Shimano XTR’s and Galfer 220mm rotors and pads so I’m not in a rush to get them.

plus you don’t have to pay till they’re ready to ship out.

 

[Shinn]

Did my first ride today on newly installed MT5's on my SL all I have to say is wholly cow. Way, way better than Guide R that were stock on the bike.

I wasn't near as shocked by how good they are but more shocked by how bad the Guide R's are....

 

[MrSimmo]

Compared to my 90s racing time, theyre all excellent brakes! We used to pin it down steep chutes with v brakes!

They’ll all deliver a great experience. Some of the guys/girls I still see who race wall say the same “Bigger rotors, replace pads regularly and dont brake as much” ? Key takeaway is maintain well and you’ll enjoy whatever you ride.

I’ve used most over the last few years, theyre all ok. Hopes - excellent modulation, less brute power, Shimanos - less modulation, more brute power,
Sram - excellent modulation, less brute power, Magura - excellent modulation, more brute power.


Running the Magura MT5s now with one-finger levers, 220/200 two-piece rotors and uberbike ematrix race pads. Excellent modulation and will stop a freight train. BUT way overkill for most of the UK riding.

 

[carlbiker]

Happy with the Mt7 but I’m still on stock discs after 350 miles, is there an improvement using other discs and how long do they last normally?

 

[Mteam]

Happy with the Mt7 but I’m still on stock discs after 350 miles, is there an improvement using other discs and how long do they last normally?

Discs last forever/a very long time unless you bend them. They do usually have a stated minimum thickness, but you'll need a micrometer to measure them accurately enough to determine if they're worn precisely. I usually just feel for a significant lip/difference between the swept area and non swept area

With regards to performance, obviously going for bigger discs increases the performance considerably. But just switching to the same size discs from other brands theres no real/significant performance improvement. Some disc are vented, or have extra surface area outside the swept surface to dissipate heat better, so its possible that if you're overheating your brakes these could make a difference, but I've never noticed any improvement from going to different discs of the same size.

 

[carlbiker]

I put standard 8" zip-lock sandwich bags over my discs. It keeps the discs clean from road grime and exhaust crap when the bike is on my tow bar rack. I cut one side of the bag half way down so that the bag goes on further. Close the zip and the bag stays on. You should see the amount of brown greasy grime that collects on the windward side!

the wizard has spoken! Tip greatly received thanks?. I’d just bought a mtb ‘car’ but found myself sticking it on the Thule bike carrier (tow bar) instead but never imagined this

 

[carlbiker]

Just revisiting this as I needed to find the best braking comparison spreadsheet on the interweb for someone and I remembered a guy had put one here! ?

MT7 have the power sure, but I’ve tried Saints also and they seemed to modulate nicer then mine, maybe variables ofc, I don’t even know if mine are setup or bled correctly….

just regarding discs, I have M ones I fit but these seemed interesting, anyone experienced improvements with these?

Shimano RT-MT900 XTR disc rotor, Ice Tech Freeza

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www.richardsonsonline.co.uk

Mine are center lock also so I’m stuck with 203 rotars sadly unless I buy new wheels etc (you can’t use adapters on CL according to Magura)

Also last thing was what pads should I get next, I know sintered is the better type to use but wondering if there was a typical goto ta? I was hoping my new rotars would kill the weird gurgle sound I get but didn’t

 

[Mteam]

just regarding discs, I have M ones I fit but these seemed interesting, anyone experienced improvements with these?



Also last thing was what pads should I get next, I know sintered is the better type to use but wondering if there was a typical goto ta? I was hoping my new rotars would kill the weird gurgle sound I get but didn’t

Those discs make no difference to performance compared to regular one piece discs.

I use uberbike 'race matrix' pads, they seem decent.

 

[carlbiker]

Those discs make no difference to performance compared to regular one piece discs.

I use uberbike 'race matrix' pads, they seem decent.

cheers they also do finned discs too but didn’t seem to look quite as high build quality, I’ll check those pads

 

[Mteam]

cheers they also do finned discs too but didn’t seem to look quite as high build quality, I’ll check those pads

presume you mean finned pads? yes, they do, but they are two piece , the finned bit is a separate bit of metal to the pad itself, this means they can make a horrendous rattling noise. I tried them, they were fine, but they didnt seem any better than the non finned versions, and they rattled.

 

[jbrown15]

Just revisiting this as I needed to find the best braking comparison spreadsheet on the interweb for someone and I remembered a guy had put one here! ?

MT7 have the power sure, but I’ve tried Saints also and they seemed to modulate nicer then mine, maybe variables ofc, I don’t even know if mine are setup or bled correctly….

just regarding discs, I have M ones I fit but these seemed interesting, anyone experienced improvements with these?

Shimano RT-MT900 XTR disc rotor, Ice Tech Freeza

<div class="TabbedData_TabHeadContainer"> <h2 id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_ctl11_rptTabs_ctl01_dvTabHead" class="TabbedData_TabHead TabbedData_TabSelected" data-index="1"><span style="text-decoration

www.richardsonsonline.co.uk

View attachment 66411
Mine are center lock also so I’m stuck with 203 rotars sadly unless I buy new wheels etc (you can’t use adapters on CL according to Magura)

Also last thing was what pads should I get next, I know sintered is the better type to use but wondering if there was a typical goto ta? I was hoping my new rotars would kill the weird gurgle sound I get but didn’t

I think you can’t use a centre lock adapter because they are a floating rotor. As far as I know you can use a centre lock adapter in the Galfer 223mm rotors.

 

[carlbiker]

presume you mean finned pads? yes, they do, but they are two piece , the finned bit is a separate bit of metal to the pad itself, this means they can make a horrendous rattling noise. I tried them, they were fine, but they didnt seem any better than the non finned versions, and they rattled.

interesting, I’ll avoid the finned pads in that case ?

these were ones I’d notice from Uberbike, 6 bolt but should I end up with a Rise then I’m thinking of trying this kind of thing out.

Shimano version claims to have upto 150 degree cooler than a typical stainless steel only disc….maybe just marketing blurb but I kinda like the look of them too ?

 

[steve_sordy]

On the first set of finned pads I had (came with the bike), the backing plate and the fins were all one piece. No rattling!

 

[Mteam]

On the first set of finned pads I had (came with the bike), the backing plate and the fins were all one piece. No rattling!

yeah, the official shimano finned pads are one piece - the after market ones that I have tried have all been two piece.

 

[apac]

Just revisiting this as I needed to find the best braking comparison spreadsheet on the interweb for someone and I remembered a guy had put one here! ?

MT7 have the power sure, but I’ve tried Saints also and they seemed to modulate nicer then mine, maybe variables ofc, I don’t even know if mine are setup or bled correctly….

just regarding discs, I have M ones I fit but these seemed interesting, anyone experienced improvements with these?

Shimano RT-MT900 XTR disc rotor, Ice Tech Freeza

<div class="TabbedData_TabHeadContainer"> <h2 id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_ctl11_rptTabs_ctl01_dvTabHead" class="TabbedData_TabHead TabbedData_TabSelected" data-index="1"><span style="text-decoration

www.richardsonsonline.co.uk

View attachment 66411
Mine are center lock also so I’m stuck with 203 rotars sadly unless I buy new wheels etc (you can’t use adapters on CL according to Magura)

Also last thing was what pads should I get next, I know sintered is the better type to use but wondering if there was a typical goto ta? I was hoping my new rotars would kill the weird gurgle sound I get but didn’t

I'm currently using MT7's , they are powerful but they are also very grabby. Not good if you prefer softer modulation.

 

[carlbiker]

I'm currently using MT7's , they are powerful but they are also very grabby. Not good if you prefer softer modulation.

Wondering if pads could make a difference here……so non squeaky but nice modulating

 

[apac]

Wondering if pads could make a difference here……so non squeaky but nice modulating

I'm currently still on the stock pads that came with the brakes. I have some Trickstuff 'red' power pads at the ready when the time comes. At present they're not a brake where I'd say they have good modulation.

 

[nB2000]

Hi jbrown

I have Code R brakes on my Devinci carbon Troy, I had Guide RE brakes on my Devinci AC. I switched out the Guide's for Shimano XTR M9120 4-piston calipers with 203mm ICE tech rotors front and rear and really liked the upgrade. Then I decided to try some Galfer 223mm rotors front and rear with their ebike specific brake pads and now I love my brakes.

One of my riding buddies is running a Shigura setup with XT levers and MT7 calipers and I still feel like I prefer my setup after I've tried his setup a few short times.

I find that brakes are such a personal preference, there really isn't a "this is the best setup for everyone brake".

hi
So am I right that in the end you prefer the XTR 4 pot with galfer (green?) pads and their 223 rotors?

Or are you using those Galfer pads/rotors with the code r?

thx